When a candidate runs for president, the most important thing that candidate should do is focus on making his or her views on policy clear to the American public. Attacks and personal smears against an opponent do not qualify as such.

The McCain campaign’s overreaction a few weeks ago to the “lipstick on a pig” comment (which means making something unattractive superficially appealing) by treating it as a crude insult directed at Sarah Palin is characteristic of their grasping, distortion-based, attack campaign tactics.

An even more disturbing attack, stating that Sen. Barack Obama voted for a bill that provides sex education to kindergarten students, is a complete twisting of the bill’s text. Nowhere in the bill does it mandate or even recommend that sex education should be taught to kindergarten students.

The McCain campaign is avoiding the pertinent issues of the economy – the war on terror, and health care – by taking demagogue-like potshots at Obama in hopes that their misrepresentations will sway public opinion in their favor.

Obama’s campaign has focused primarily on educating the American public about the issues facing the country and what he intends to do about them.

Voters should keep the contrast between the two campaigns in mind when they head to the polls.

Benjamin Bachelder, Wayne